viruses on the X?

[DroidyMcDroid]

kind of new to android and some of it's more advanced capabilities so please bear with me.

can downloading a bad/malicious game rom from a website directly to your phone cause problems for your droid if it's not an android virus? i've used them before but after this particular download was completed i opened the notification panel and it just said untitled with the 'name.zip' under it and after searching my downloads file and every file with my file manager i can't find it anywhere on my phone. worried it might be something malicious and hiding so wondering what could happen to my phone/data... everything still seems to be working fine. maybe the file didn't download properly so i don't have to worry about it

 

[wildman]

kind of new to android and some of it's more advanced capabilities so please bear with me.

can downloading a bad/malicious game rom from a website directly to your phone cause problems for your droid if it's not an android virus? i've used them before but after this particular download was completed i opened the notification panel and it just said untitled with the 'name.zip' under it and after searching my downloads file and every file with my file manager i can't find it anywhere on my phone. worried it might be something malicious and hiding so wondering what could happen to my phone/data... everything still seems to be working fine. maybe the file didn't download properly so i don't have to worry about it

This doesn't appear to be a malicious attack or anything like that, try downloading another browser like Opera Mobile or Dolphin HD and then download file, the stock browser has issues downloading files from some files, with these browsers you shouldnt have any issues downloading files..

Also you may want to try Lookout Antivirus free from market because it is the prefer app for a number of users..

 

[jerseyboy357]

I agree w Wildman. Heres a crazy scenario. I had an old laptop from HP one time. Whenever I downloaded something off the net, usually .exe or .rar, I would have it go to a specific path, usually a folder on my desktop called Downloads. Sometimes I would end up with an .exe named differently than from the source. Turns out the HP couldnt read the file name(memory wise) so it had a set library to rename things so it would know what it is and the laptop would know how to work with it. And it wouldnt put it in my specified path! I used to get so damn mad lookin thru my HDD for it,lol.
Maybe the stock browser, as Wildman said, has a read issue. And yes always have Lookout be one of your first and top 5 apps in your device. There are some anit virus suites in the market, that could help scan downloads from the Internet, not just apps like Lookout. Keep us up to date.

 

[DroidyMcDroid]

i'll check out lookout.

what about my general question concerning viruses on android in general? can pc viruses affect my phone? can my phone be a carrier and infect computers? are android viruses only found in malicious market apps and not websites and emulator roms? what symptoms does an infected android exhibit and are only android specific viruses detected by programs such as lookout?

how do you guys know all this stuff is fact?
thanks in advance for helping me out.

 

[jerseyboy357]

There have been a few Asian located apps that have comtained some un-friendly actions but nothing that weve known about that is crippling. Yes our phones are basically mini-pc's and if you go to a what I call red site and download a file u have no idea what it is, you may download a virus. I dont believe our phones will act as transmitters to other devices via sending dirty files. Im sure there are people out there that wish they could, but luckily they have left us alone.
If you were to be infected with a nasty virus, like that Butthole surfer song,lol I would say your device would make changes beyond your knowledge and control. Maybe files being copied, or moved or deleted altogether. Freezes, app failures etc. basically what would happen on your pc I would assume.

To answer your question of knowing this all as fact for me is that I have many many years experience using pc's and experimenting with getting this kind of trouble and learning how to reverse it. I have a college degree in pc forensics annd info systems but its really all about what you experience using pc's, handhelds etc. Hell, my PSP once caught a rootkit,lol so I learned about it all until I knew how to stop it and educate others. Not tooting my won horn but I just know these things sometimes. Just like you will once you download and install lookout and u get a bad app and lookout will tell u and help u get thru it. Be smart and use smart I always say.

 

[DroidyMcDroid]

well thanks for taking the time to respond. i guess i'll stop with the new roms bios thing i was looking into and stick with what i've got.

i noticed lookout was scanning applications but what about regular files? and will lookout scan for non android specific viruses? thanks again for helping the new guy out.

 

[jerseyboy357]

Lookout does not scan browser downloaded files. Lookout scans for any malicious content within the build of an app. Now the only thing I disagree with Lookout about is that it installs it to your device, then scans it and tells you if its not safe or not. I know there is some sort of firewall apk in my X now with the GB build, so maybe that will change things. And dont be afraid to try out some experimenting with your phone. Do your research, spend alot of time here in the forums, reading our post and following our links. If you think you enjoy your X stock, try a custom built ROM like Rubix or the almighty Liberty(2.0 coming soon) or even the new GB build were all feening over these past few days,lol. Youll be complaining about battery life next, which will lead you to extended batteries, which will lead to even further usage and playing and so on. Trust us, the addiction will settle in nicely. Think of it as that scene from The Lost Boys, when Keifer was telling Michael "Its just noodles" lol

 

[DroidyMcDroid]

if lookout doesn't scan the downloaded files, then i guess it doesn't really help me in my specific situation. i should be weary of emulators and roms then. hopefully i don't have any malware/spyware on my phone from this download. guess i'll just have to keep an eye on all my accounts for suspicious activity

 

[Arelunde]

Try Lookout free to at least keep a filter in place for "bad" apps. There are other perks with this app, but I imagine eventually, the smartphones will need regulation virus protection as does computers these days.

 

[wildman]

if lookout doesn't scan the downloaded files, then i guess it doesn't really help me in my specific situation. i should be weary of emulators and roms then. hopefully i don't have any malware/spyware on my phone from this download. guess i'll just have to keep an eye on all my accounts for suspicious activity

If the file downloaded is infected it most likely will attempt to run and install something to infect your system and Lookout will scan that attempt so if the file is downloaded it still has to run to make changes to system so Lookout will still have a chance to stop the action.